A member of the National Executive Council of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Mohammed Abdulrahman has claimed irresponsible political elites from the South-East are those sponsoring the on-going agitation for an independent state of Biafra.

He said their real motive is to blackmail the rest of Nigeria into surrendering the Presidency to the Igbos in 2019.

Abdulrahman stated this while speaking in an interview with the PUNCH.

The Arewa chieftain maintained that the sovereignty or unity of Nigeria is not negotiable. Hence, the Igbos support for Nnamdi Kanu whom he described as hooligans, should look for a better approach into the mainstream of Nigeria’s political space.

He said: “I don’t think the sovereignty or unity of this country is negotiable. Every time there is agitation by a section of the country or a group of people, I don’t think we should bring up the issue of whether Nigeria should remain one united country or not.

“As a people, no matter our differences, we have become united in our diversity. It is only natural for issues of disagreement to come up from time to time.

“Having said that, we must understand that there is a fundamental reason we are all made to be part of this great country called Nigeria.

“To my mind, the people agitating for independence or break-up of the country are illiterates and are misinformed. They don’t understand the realities of the time. It is my conviction that Nnamdi Kanu is being sponsored by some irresponsible political elites. They are the ones egging him on.

“But to what end?

“Let me tell you, the Igbo are only trying to be relevant; they are only trying to get back into Nigeria’s mainstream political space. There is nothing more to that. Among such efforts to get back into the mainstream is to have the presidency.

“What I see that Nnamdi Kanu and his Igbo ilk are doing is to blackmail Nigeria into submitting the presidency to them.

“The question I will ask them is: Can you have this presidency by blackmail? You need to examine their logic very well and you can discern their real motive concerning this issue.

“At a point, the Igbo said they wanted the presidency and now they are saying they don’t want to be part of Nigeria. How can they want or have the presidency when they don’t want to be part of the country? They want one of their own to be president they call a zoo? Is that reasonable? Or, does that show sincerity?

“I think the way they have been going about their agitation is irresponsible.

“Their tactics are wrong and crude. I think Igbo hooligans are behind current agitation for an independent state of Biafra.”